Hughes feeling weight of Canucks’ season: ‘This year has been hard’

DENVER — The term “heavy lies the crown” is derived from a line in Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, Part 2. Had The Bard — tell me that’s not a great hockey nickname — been a fan of our game, he’d have written: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the ‘C.’”

Quinn Hughes has felt the weight of that lettered patch this season, even when not wearing his Vancouver Canucks’ jersey.

Being captain has made the 25-year-old feel acutely the sting of this National Hockey League season, which the Canucks began with Stanley Cup aspirations after Vancouver’s best season in a decade but will almost certainly end with the team missing the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 years.

Hughes feels responsible as captain, and said Wednesday that burden affected him down the stretch as the reality of the season sunk in.

Importantly, this same responsibility also affects Hughes’ outlook as far as the team’s future and his role in it.

Without making any sweeping declarations about what he plans to do in two years when he is eligible for unrestricted free agency, Hughes told Sportsnet he feels there is an “obligation” attached to the C the Canucks gave him.

“This team named me captain, and I feel obligated to be a successful team here,” Hughes told Sportsnet. “That weighs heavily on me; I want to do something here.

“Like, they made me captain. Are you going to do what you said you would do? Are you going to help the situation and make this a successful organization? Obviously, one guy can’t do that. But I definitely feel obligated, where that weighs heavy on my mind that they entrusted me with that. This year has been hard, and I want to find a way to put us in a situation where we can be really successful and ultimately win (a Stanley Cup). I appreciate the fans and the fact that there’s never been a Cup in Vancouver. I definitely think about that quite a bit, as well.”

This is not a promise by Hughes. But it is a compelling statement about what he believes, and it should provide some context as speculation about his future becomes feverish over the next 15 months — until July 2026, when one of the best two defencemen in the NHL can sign a long-term extension in Vancouver. Or not.

Both Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford have been clear about wanting to create a positive, winning environment in Vancouver so that the best player in franchise history will want to stay.

This season, full of drama, key injuries and plot twists that even Shakespeare would have been challenged to conjure, hasn’t helped the landscape.

But Hughes clearly believes in his team and especially his coach, Rick Tocchet.

“I believe that with Rick and Footy (assistant coach Adam Foote) and the way that they coach and structuring how we are defensively,” Hughes said, “if we add another player or two and have some guys within our group play better next year than they did this past season, I think we can be a really, really successful team. We’re very structured, we don’t give up much, we have maybe the best goalie tandem in the league, and we have a great D-corps and others that are coming that will help us. The point is, if we get Rick back and add a piece or two, we can be very successful.”

Although it’s clear where he stands, Hughes said Tocchet’s future will be decided by coach and management. The Canucks have a club option on the head coach for next season, but are eager to negotiate a long-term extension. Tocchet, however, has delayed those discussions as he and the players focused on trying to save their season.

Tocchet told Sportsnet two weeks ago in New York that he needs to fully debrief with Rutherford and Allvin after the season and see what management’s plans are for the roster and next season.

“He’s an amazing coach,” Hughes said. “You look at me individually and my game, he’s been amazing for me — amazing for a lot of guys. He’s just a great person, first of all. That’s a guy you want to compete for, you want to play for. And he’s a terrific coach.

“I think just the way Rick coaches, how solid we are defensively and structured, he gives us the chance to win every night. At times (with injuries this season), we might have been a little outmatched. But I think he’s a terrific coach. Last year, he won the Jack Adams Award, and this year, I think he’s probably been even better. But whatever he does, it’s his decision. Obviously, I’d like to have him back. And I think he knows that.”

The Canucks extended their season by at least a day by rallying, magnificently or miraculously or both, to beat the Dallas Stars 6-5 in overtime Tuesday night. Minus injured top two centres Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil and 20-minute defenceman Tyler Myers, Vancouver became the first team in NHL history to win a game by overcoming a three-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation time.

The Canucks visit the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

“Kind of a crazy game, but like I’ve been telling you all year, there’s no quit, and we’re always going to compete,” Hughes said. “We have a lot of competitive guys and to see where we are now is definitely disappointing. I don’t want to talk like the year’s over because there’s still four games left. After the season, I think there will be different conversations about how we can get better, and taking advantage of the summer because we do need guys to elevate (their training) and come back better.”

Preparation has been a theme for both Tocchet and Allvin this season when discussing where the Canucks need to improve.

“If I didn’t agree with that, I wouldn’t train the way I do,” Hughes said. “I’ve seen (Sidney) Crosby and the (Nathan) MacKinnons — that’s the blueprint. We have to continue to get better every season. You look at Crosby, and he’s one of the greatest players ever, but the way he competes in the summer and tries to improve his game year after year, I mean, that’s what you have to do to continue to get better and expand your game. Because the league gets better every single year. We need everyone to understand that and be hungry.”

Hughes significantly changed his diet and training two years ago, and last season played all 82 games on his way to the Norris Trophy.

This season, he was injured three times. Hughes missed four games with a serious hand injury before returning on Jan. 6 with a heavy brace. But he suffered a strained oblique muscle on Jan. 31 and missed six games, then three games into his return, suffered a related injury that kept him out another four.

Still, with 74 points in 64 games, Hughes leads the Canucks in scoring by 25 points, even if his struggle at times to defend since his last return on March 12 is evidence that he is probably not fully healthy.

“It’s just been a long year, and I think that the position where we are, that realization, probably has rattled me more than it needed to,” he said. “I would say it has hurt me just where we are in the standings. I just thought we would be a contender this year.

“As far as the oblique and the injuries, injuries happen. A couple were unlucky, like with my hand, that was just a weird thing. Last year, I played all 82 games and this year I’ve been a little unlucky. But I don’t think anything is going to eat away at me (in the summer) because I know that I’ve tried my best and tried to prepare my best.”

Like you’d expect of a leader.

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